Skip to main content

Submitting Children and Young People with Eating Disorders (CYP ED) Waiting Times quick guide

This guide was updated in May 2024 to reflect the implementation of MHSDS v6. Author: Mental Health, NHS Talking Therapies and Learning Disability and Autism Analysis Team, NHS England

Page contents

Aim

The CYP ED access and waiting time standard has been monitored using the MHSDS data from 2023-24 onwards Mental health Services Monthly statistics. Learn more about how to submit to the MHSDS. 

From April 2026, following updates to the guidance, the methodology for measuring access and waiting times for CYP ED has been updated.

The measures are 'Waiting times for incomplete pathways for an Eating Disorder' and 'Waiting times for patients started treatment for an Eating Disorder', split by urgent and routine cases. The IDs of the relevant measures calculated from MHSDS are ED85 to ED90.

Prior to the reporting from MHSDS, data was submitted via the Strategic Data Collection Service (SDCS) collection for Children and Young People with Eating Disorders (CYP ED). This was retired at the end of the 2022-23 reporting period. The last publication was for 2022-23 Quarter 4 (January – March 2023) on 11 May.

ARTICLE

View the SDCS published figures

The Children and Young People with an Eating Disorder (CYP ED) Waiting Times data contains information on the number of children and young people who have accessed, or are waiting for treatment following a routine or urgent referral for a suspected eating disorder.

Methodological changes to Children and Young People’s Eating Disorders

From 2026-27 reporting in the Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics, the methodology used to report Children and Young People’s Eating Disorders data is changing.

Learn more about changes to the methodology

The following changes have been made to the methodology:

  1. Referrals which include an inpatient stay are now excluded from the cohort of referrals which are in scope for the metrics.
  2. Referrals which have been referred to a Single Point of Access or Mental Health Support Team (MHST) have been removed from the cohort of referrals which are in scope for the metrics.
  3. The list of valid SNOMED codes to stop the clock has been amended. Where existing clock stops are removed, these will be valid for up to the end of 2025-26 before being removed from 2026-27. The valid SNOMED codes are outlined in the "Data needed for recording CYP eating disorders" section below
  4. If a person is waiting for treatment and turns 18 in the reporting month, they will no longer be included in the counts of those waiting for treatment.

These changes impact the following metrics:

  • ED32 - New referrals with eating disorder issues, aged 0-18
  • ED85 - Referrals with eating disorder issues entering treatment in RP, aged 0-18
  • ED86- Referrals with eating disorder issues categorised as urgent entering treatment in RP, aged 0-18
  • ED86a - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorised as urgent entering treatment within one week, in RP, aged 0-18
  • ED86b - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorised as urgent entering treatment within 1-4 weeks, in RP, aged 0-18
  • ED86c - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorised as urgent entering treatment within 4-12 weeks, in RP, aged 0-18
  • ED86d - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorised as urgent entering treatment after 12 weeks, in RP, aged 0-18
  • ED86e - Proportion of referrals with eating disorders categorized as urgent cases entering treatment within one week in RP, aged 0-18
  • ED87 - Referrals eating disorder issues categorised as routine entering treatment in RP, aged 0-18
  • ED87a - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorised as routine entering treatment within one week, in RP, aged 0-18
  • ED87b - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorised as routine entering treatment within 1-4 weeks, in RP, aged 0-18
  • ED87 - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorised as routine entering treatment within 4-12 weeks, in RP, aged 0-18
  • ED87d - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorised as routine entering treatment after 12 weeks, in RP, aged 0-18
  • ED87e - Proportion of referrals with eating disorders categorized as routine cases entering treatment within four weeks in RP, aged 0-18
  • ED88 - Referrals with eating disorder issues waiting for treatment at end of RP, aged 0-18
  • ED89 - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorized as urgent waiting for treatment end RP, aged 0-18
  • ED89a - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorized as urgent waiting for treatment for one week, end RP, aged 0-18
  • ED89b - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorized as urgent waiting for treatment for 1-4 weeks, end RP, aged 0-18
  • ED89c - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorized as urgent waiting for treatment for 4-12 weeks, end RP, aged 0-18
  • ED89d - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorized as urgent waiting for treatment for more than 12 weeks, end RP, aged 0-18
  • ED90 - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorized as routine waiting for treatment end RP, aged 0-18
  • ED90a - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorized as routine waiting for treatment for one week, end RP, aged 0-18
  • ED90b - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorized as routine waiting for treatment for 1-4 weeks, end RP, aged 0-18
  • ED90c - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorized as routine waiting for treatment for 4-12 weeks, end RP, aged 0-18
  • ED90d - Referrals with eating disorder issues categorized as routine waiting for treatment for more than 12 weeks, end RP, aged 0-18

MHSDS data items needed for these measures

The table below lists all MHSDS fields needed by NHS Digital to compile these measures, alongside the mandatory tables and data items needed to make a submission to the MHSDS. More information can be found in the MHSDS User Guidance and Technical Output Specification.

The metrics published by NHS Digital are published every month and cover a 3 month rolling period.

CYP Eating Disorder waiting measures use SNOMED to establish when a person has entered treatment. Information to help with the implementation of SNOMED codes is available.

Data needed for recording CYP eating disorders

Table Field Notes specific to CYD-ED
MHS001MPI PersonBirthDate Used to identify people under 19 in data up to 2025-26 and people under 18 in data from 2026-27 onwards
MHS101Referral ReferralRequestReceivedDate Used to 'start the clock'
ClinRespPriorityType Only include where: 1 – Emergency, 2 – Urgent, 3 – Routine, 4 – Very Urgent
PrimReasonReferralMH Only include where: 12 – Eating Disorder
CareProfTeamLocalID Used to link to MHS902
ServDischDate To remove from ‘stop the clock’ waits
MHS102 OtherCareProfTeamLocalID Used to link to MHS902
MHS201CareContact CareContDate The date used in conjunction with a SNOMED code to ‘stop the clock’
AttendStatus Only include where: 5 – Attended on time, 6 – Arrived late but was seen
ConsMechanismMH Only include where: 01 – Face to face, 02 – Telephone, 11 – Video consultation
MHS202CareActivity Procedure

 

The following SNOMED concepts will stop the clock for CYP-ED waiting times
MHS501HospProvSpell HospProvSpellID Used to derive if a person is an inpatient as part of the CYP-ED referral
MHS902ServiceTeamDetails ServTeamTypeMH Used to identify referrals to MHST or Single Point of Access

 

The following SNOMED concepts will stop the clock for CYP-ED waiting times:

SNOMED code SNOMED description Valid dates
51484002 Family therapy Currently used in reporting and valid for 2026-27 onwards
1111811000000109 Cognitive behavioural therapy for eating disorders Currently used in reporting but retired from 2026-27
443730003 Interpersonal psychotherapy Currently used in reporting and valid for 2026-27 onwards
444175001 Guided self-help cognitive behavioral therapy Currently used in reporting and valid for 2026-27 onwards
718023002 Focal psychodynamic therapy Currently used in reporting but retired from 2026-27
984421000000104 Focal psychodynamic therapy Currently used in reporting but retired from 2026-27
1323681000000103 Eating-disorder-focused focal psychodynamic therapy New code to stop the clock for 2026-27 onwards
1362001000000104 Group cognitive behavioural therapy for eating disorder New code to stop the clock for 2026-27 onwards
1833251000000107 Adolescent-focused psychotherapy for anorexia nervosa New code to stop the clock for 2026-27 onwards
1833011000000101 Guided self-help for bulimia nervosa New code to stop the clock for 2026-27 onwards
301781000000101 Shared care New code to stop the clock for 2026-27 onwards
2304461000000102 Guided self help for bulimia nervosa and binge eating New code to stop the clock for 2026-27 onwards

Qualifier values in SNOMED can be used to record when a person has been offered but declined a treatment. Treatments declined will not count towards these measures. The MHSDS User Guidance provides more information on using qualifier values.

The following 4 tables need to be submitted in each submission with their respective mandatory and required fields. More information can be found in the MHSDS User Guidance and Technical Output Specification.

Table Description
MHS000Header Uniquely identifies each MHSDS submission made by the provider
MHS001MPI Uniquely identifies every patient and records personal details of each patient
MHS002GP Records details of the GP of every patient
MHS101Referral Records details of referrals made for the patient

 

Last edited: 7 May 2026 1:33 pm